Meet at Heathrow Airport in the morning for our flight to Oslo. Transfer to the Setesdal Valley (approx. 5-hour transfer) with a briefing en route. On arrival, before dinner, the team will prepare for the next day by being issued and fitted with the required kit.

Accommodation: Hotel

Over the next three days, you will be trained by specialist instructors in the Setesdal Valley, a dedicated winter centre close to the regional hub of Evje. We will be fully immersed in training together for the expedition and operational phases of our ambitious adventure.

It will be intense, but you will learn crucial winter skills such as Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, general survival techniques, making basic improvised shelters such as quinzees (snow shelters), pulk (sledge) pulling, and much more.

Training begins at the Høgås ski centre, where the trails are perfectly suited to novice skiers. As the team progresses, you will tackle more challenging terrain, culminating in trails almost 2,000 feet above the valley.

Talks and films will be held in the evenings to bring the mission alive and provide great insight into this daring and spectacular secret operation.

Accommodation: Hotel

Now it is time to put all the skills we have learned into practice!

We travel for four hours by minibus to the Hardangervidda, where we will be met by our Norwegian snow scooter guides. We then head to our accommodation for the night — a Lavvo Hytte (log cabin) near Songevatn Lake, the location of the parachute drop of the four operatives in Operation Grouse.

In the afternoon, we take a short acclimatisation ski to a memorial plaque dedicated to the saboteurs.

The following day, we retrace the saboteurs’ footsteps, skiing 12 km to Berunuten Hytte. This is another original sabotage hut used by the saboteurs and the resistance movement during WW2. Part of the challenge in this phase is for the team to be self-sufficient and carry their own equipment and food supplies using rucksacks and pulling original WW2 Norwegian Army pulks. Meals of dry rations will be carried and prepared by the team.

On the final day of the expedition phase, the team will ski 8 km to a minibus rendezvous point and transfer to Rjukan.

Accommodation:

• Days 5 & 6: Traditional Lavvo (tent-style dwellings used by the Sami people), basic dormitory-style
• Day 7: Full-board hotel

We take a short drive to the starting point near Rjukan. Depending on snow conditions, the team will trek for around four hours, following the exact final route taken by the saboteurs in February 1943.

After completing this journey, the team will have the opportunity to visit the museum at the former Hydro Electric plant at Vemork — a pilgrimage of sorts.

We then prepare to attempt the final phase — the grueling uphill escape challenge. Can any of the team members beat the record of 26 mins 45 secs?

While this is voluntary and dependent upon snow conditions, it is an amazing way to round off this challenge.

There will be time for sightseeing in the town of Rjukan before heading back to our hotel for our final night together. After supper, the team will be presented with their Heroes of Telemark Diploma and can enjoy a well-deserved celebration.

Accommodation: Hotel

Head home with amazing memories.

After breakfast, we’ll depart Rjukan for Oslo Airport for our flight home. This will take approximately four hours by minibus.